Jamestown council hears $30.84 million budget, bond plans and poll-worker stipend request

Jamestown Town Council members heard a presentation on the town and school proposed operating budget and capital plans and discussed related bond options and revenue sources at a regular meeting where town staff and two members of the board of canvassers spoke.

Town staff presented a combined proposed operating budget of $30,841,871, with $16,835,006 (about 55%) allocated to the school department and $14,006,265 (about 45%) to town operations. The presentation included statutory and charter deadlines for budget submission and publication, state-mandated pre-budget consultation for schools, and the town’s interaction with state finance authorities as the council moves toward adopting a recommended budget for the financial town meeting.

The memo and slide presentation, prepared by town staff, outlined the statutory timeline in the town charter and in Rhode Island law that guides the budget calendar. The presenter cited Charter Section 11.01 (submission to council 90 days before the town financial meeting) and Rhode Island General Law 16-2-21 (joint pre-budget meeting between school committee and council). Staff also described the state’s Division of Municipal Finance review steps needed before the town advertises a recommended budget and before the final town financial meeting.

Why it matters: the presentation showed how the proposed budget ties to the town’s certified levy and the state 4% levy cap (Rhode Island General Law 44-5-2). Staff said the town’s certified levy for FY25 was $24,575,879 and that the 4% maximum limit would be $983,035. The proposed combined budget and the split between town and school affect the tax levy calculation, debt service planning and timing for capital projects that may require bonding.

Major budget figures and breakdowns - Combined proposed operating budget: $30,841,871 (school $16,835,006; town $14,006,265). - Town operating components: town operations $11,181,107 (80% of town operating), town capital $961,500 (7%), town debt $1,863,658 (13%). - Contractual expenditures were described as roughly 81% of expenditures; discretionary items roughly 19%. - Revenue mix: property taxes make up the largest share (about 82.11% in the staff presentation). State aid and other smaller sources make up the balance.

Staff highlighted line-item changes for FY26 including: police contract increases already settled (3% for police), a 3% recommended salary assumption for nonunion department heads (carried in a contingency line), additional software and records-management costs (including a statewide records and dispatch migration), increases in EMS shift staffing costs, changes to the senior center accounting for electricity after the town took ownership of the building, and a new pilot line item for beach raking at Mackle Cove.

Capital and debt planning Staff presented an overview of outstanding bonds, maturities and average annual debt service (the staff summary put average debt service at about $1.7 million per year). The town also discussed a package of proposed bond issues and timing: a $3.8 million set of maintenance/repair bonds (modeled over 20 years in the staff packet) and a possible $3 million taxable housing bond (term and taxability to be reviewed with bond counsel). Staff noted the probable future replacement of a fire ladder truck and other large equipment purchases that typically rely on borrowing rather than pay-as-you-go capital funding.

Staff said bond counsel and the town’s finance team will be asked to present options (taxable vs. nontaxable, terms, and estimated debt-service impacts) at a future meeting. The capital proposal shown in the packet totaled $961,500 for the coming year; larger bond proposals were presented as items under consideration and not yet adopted.

Questions from council members focused on: which revenues are treated as enterprise or restricted funds (for example, marina lease revenues, golf course lease proceeds and water-tower lease income), how restricted waterfront infrastructure funds have been used historically, and how lease revenues and restricted accounts appear in the annual audit. Staff said some lease revenues (marina/waterfront) are restricted to waterfront infrastructure projects by prior council action; golf course lease income partly funds operations and partly flows to a restricted golf-course capital account for future capital work.

Public comments and poll-worker stipend request Two members of the board of canvassers addressed the council during public comment. Ken Newman, chair of the board of canvassers, described recent changes in training and early-voting responsibilities and called them “an enormous, enormous change in terms of what we are doing,” asking the council to consider stipend increases to reflect added training obligations. Newman said state training and testing requirements are lengthening duties for board members and poll workers and that some required sessions are “multiple training sessions long.”

Hugh Murphy, a board member, said the stipend for the board of canvassers has not been increased since before 1999 and described a substantial increase in workload since 2020, including 20 days of early voting and additional poll duties.

Staff response and next steps Staff confirmed the board of canvassers’ stipend request appeared in the budget packet as a requested increase and said the operating budget and memorandum are published online. Staff also said they will provide budget-to-actual reports, updated capital detail at the next meeting, and that they are trying to schedule bond counsel to appear for a council discussion of borrowing options. The council set a follow-up session on capital and bonds for next Monday at 6:00 p.m.

Formal action The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn; the motion was seconded and the council voted in favor with aye responses, and the meeting was adjourned.

The town’s budget schedule will continue to follow the calendar set by the town charter and state law, including required public notices and publication of the recommended budget before the financial town meeting.